Norway has officially opened the longest suspension bridge above the Arctic Circle. The 1.5 kilometer span was built in cooperation with a Chinese company.

Chinese workers, locals and officials took part in the opening ceremony of the new Norwegian super bridge, dubbed Halogaland, near the northern port city of Narvik. With pylons soaring 180 feet into the clouds, the bridge crosses the Rombaken fjord and boasts a free span of 1,145 meters. With a length of 1,533 meters, it is the longest suspension bridge ever built above the Arctic Circle.

Built with assistance of China's Sichuan Road and Bridge Group (SRBG), it provides a significant shortcut on the European route E6 highway - the main north-south road through Norway and the west coast of Sweden. The Chinese firm delivered the steel constructions and was responsible for the mounting of the bridge, which took more than five years to build.

"It's been great to see Chinese participation in this project," Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg told reporters at the inauguration ceremony. She added that the "beautiful bridge" is very important for the local community and infrastructure.

The Science Channel series Building Giants once joined the international team building the Halogaland Bridge, calling it the 'Arctic Mega Bridge' in an episode on the project.

Comment: It's quite symbolic that while the West bombs bridges in the Middle East, and its own become unsafe due to lack of maintenance, China and Russia are building them at home and abroad in collaborative projects: